Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Reponse
Chief Operating Officer
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Mrs. Nikki Bratcher-Bowman is the Principal
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response and Chief
Operating Officer for the Office of the Assistant Secretary for
Preparedness and Response (ASPR) at the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services (HHS).
Mrs. Bratcher-Bowman served as the Acting
Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response from January through
June 2021. During that time, she led ASPR as it continued to respond
to the COVID-19 pandemic by expanding the use of monoclonal antibody
therapeutics; deploying responders from the National Disaster Medical
System to serve in hard-hit areas of the country; and continuing
to develop, procure, and deploy the medical countermeasures needed
to respond to the pandemic.
Mrs. Bratcher-Bowman led the transformation
and modernization of ASPR operations and services. She led communications
strategy, budget, acquisitions and congressional oversight. She
has served as the Executive Officer of the Office of Intergovernmental
and External Affairs (IEA) within HHS. She was responsible for managing
and leading IEA’s budget and financial resources, human resources,
information technology, facilities management, travel programs,
contracts and acquisitions, records management, emergency preparedness
and safety, freedom of information act oversight, ethics, and information
resources across a geographically dispersed organization. With broad
experience in the federal sector, her work has spanned operations,
human capital, performance optimization, organizational efficiency
and effectiveness, and policy.
Mrs. Bratcher-Bowman worked within HHS
for more than 32 years and has held other positions, including Chief
Operating Officer, Senior Advisor, Senior Dispute Resolution Specialist,
Labor Relations, Employee Relations Officer, Policy Advisor and
Budget Analyst. She is a seasoned collaborative relationship-builder,
effective manager, and multi-audience communicator, with experience
working in complex organizations and with federal, state, local
and tribal officials and public policy groups.
Mrs. Bratcher-Bowman has received numerous
awards and recognition for her leadership and service, including
the HHS Secretary’s Award for Excellence in Management - one of
the highest honors given at HHS. Mrs. Bratcher-Bowman is a graduate
of the Federal Executive Institute and Liberty University.
